Display device.



W. T. PHILLIPS & T. C. DE LISLE.

DISPLAY DEVICE. APPLICATION HLED JULY 7. 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN (IO-.WASHINGTON, D- c.

W. T. PHILLIPS & T. C. DE LISLE.

DISPLAY DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, I9I4.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

2 SHEETSf-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA rumouwn Cm, WASHINGTON, u. c.

- --v1s1on of such a mechanlsm n simple re- To all whom it may concern WILLIAM T. PHILLIPS AND THOMAS C. DE LISLE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DISPLAY DEVICE.

Be it known that we, WVILLIAM T. PHIL- VLIPS and THOMAS C. DE LISLE, citizens of the United States, residingat Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Display Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for displaying flexible articles of any and all characters; particularly for displaying rugs and the like.

. The primary feature of our present invention is the handling of rugs or the like by suspension from-their upper edges .in much the same manner thatrugs are handled by hand. To display rugs we move them from' a vertical hanging position to a horizontal position where they may be viewed by a customer. In their vertical 'hanging'position they occupy a relatively small space upon the floor.

The primary object of our invention is the provision of mechanism for handling "the rugs in the manner set forth, and the-pro- .liable and inexpensive form, which may be easily applied for the purposes set forth and in which the rugs may be easily attached or taken out.

Details of our invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings in which we have shown a preferredform of channels orthe like and the chains'2O may our mechanism and in which drawings,

Figure 1 1s a vertical. section of our 1mproved machine, Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 are enlarged details showing the action of the devicein" lowering rugs to the'horizontal position, Fig. 5 is a sectlon taken as indicated by line 55 of Fig. 3.

In thedrawings the numeral 10 may designate a suitable base upon which the rugs 11 are laid when in their horizontal posi- 45 3 suitable frame work; and we may provide tion. This base may bemounted upon any a back 12 against which the rugs may hang when in theirvertical positions. The rugs are each hung upon suitable hangers 13, one for each rug. These hangers may consist preferably in elongated strips of thin teeth 16, or other means, being' provided to metal 15 which may or may not extend along the whole of the top of the rugs; suitable secure the rug to the hanger strip 15. The

' -hangershave suitable extensions 17 whichv Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 7, 1914. Serial No. 849,623.

Patented Got. 19, 1915.

extend over the rug carrying arches 18 and over the chain carriers 19, having apertures 20 surrounding the arches 18 in such manner that the rug carriers bear at 21 upon the arches 18 so that the arches carry the whole weight of the rugs. three of these arches in order to successfully carry heavy rugs of large size, although any numbercan be provided. It is desired that the arches 18 carry all the weightof the rugs and that the chain carriers 19.be used only to guide the chains 20, the function of the chains, being merely to move the rugs by proper engagement with the hangers 13; but this arrangement may be varied, especially where light articles are displayed and no great weight must be carrle Intheir normal positions, the rugs hang as shown in Fig. 1 in vertical positions against the back 12. The arches 18 extend forwardly and downwardly to the forward edge of thebase 10; and the curve of the archesis such that when the upper'edge of a rug is moved forwardly and downwardlv along the arches therugwill be laid out upon the base 10 much in the same manner as a rug is'laid upon thefioor by hand. Thechain carriers 19 parallel the arches 18; and we prefer to have one chain carrier and one chain foreach of the arches, although this We prefer to provide may be arranged otherwise if desired. The

chain carriers are preferably in the form of be providedwith rollers 30 so that they will move with minimum frictional resistance various sprocketsofthe machine. Each of the chains 20 1S endless and passes over a sprocket 31 at the bottom of the carrier '19,

thence rearwardly to another sprocket 32 at the bottom of back '12 and thence'may of the upper end of the chain carrier 19.

The idler sprocket 33 is placed somewhat in the-position shown in order to make a sulficient length of chain so that the two dogs. 36 on'each chain may be spaced apart by the distance illustrated and so thatithe endless lengthof chain is equally divided by the 1 two dogs. A motor or other prime mover 37 maysufiice to drive. the whole system 1n either direction; The motor may be a-re-' versible motor sothatthe. chains may be i through the channel carriers 19 and over the e l H travel of the chains,

that only one rug 1S- engaged by them at one time; one set of dogswill drop one rug before the next set picks up the succeeding one. The machine may be reversed when either of the dogs are engaging a rug.

The essentials of operation of our device are as follows :Suppose that the rugs are all in their upright positions and it is desired to lower them to horizontal positions. The motor is started to move the chains in the direction indicatedin the variousviews- The dogs 36 will engage the outermost rug hanger 13 and will carry that hanger and its rug 11 down to a horizontal position, laying that rug out on the base in the manner 'hereinbefore noted. After the first rug has been laidin its horizontal-position, the next set of dogs will engage the next rug; and so on until all the rugs are laid in horizontal positions. It will be noted that any rug is fully laid down before thenext succeeding rug is engaged bythe dogs, owing tothe fact that there is sufficient length of chain between the dogs so that one set willhave reached the position where a rug is laid down before thesucceeding set reaches position to engage the next rug. If it is desired to replace the rugs in their :vertical positions, it is onlynecessary torreverse the when the rugs will be picked up successively and moved from their horizontal positions .to their original verticalpositions; the dogs engaging the rug hangers one by one and moving them to, and dropping them in their correct positions on the upper parts ofthe supporting arches- 18. Tokeep the rear edge'sof the rugs 1n pulled tight when horizontal position curled over by. the dragging of SHCCQSSlVQ rugs forwardly over them, we provide tapes 50 which are-permanently attached 'at one 7 end to the frame at 5.1 and releasably at? "tached inany suitable manner to the rear loWeredgesof the rugs at 52. These tapes are of suitable graduated lengths to be the respective rugs are the tapes thus limiting laid horizontally, the forward movement of the rear edges of the rugs and preventing the rear edges from being dragged forwardby V of asucceedingrug.

The manner in which thedogso G jengage the rug hangers anddisengage them will be now explained. 7 As hereinbefore stated,

each of the rug hangers bear: directly upon" the arches 18, so that none ofthe weight is; borne by 'the'chain carriers the extensions opening 40 surrounding the chain 'carr1erl9 Without engaging the chain carrier; and the chain will pass continuously through the openings 40 in these hangers as long as the machine is. running. The. dogs" 36. 'Z-are from being rolled-or the forward drag;

19. 'Each. of, 17 of therughangers has an shaped as isbest shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and are mounted upon studs or pivots &1 with springs 42* normally throw them to positions at right anglesto the chain; that is, upwardly and to the left fromthe position shown in Fig. 3. Entry of thedogs into the apertures 40 of the rug hangers tends to throw them back into either one direction or the other'depending upon which direction the chains are traveling. Supposing thatthe chains are traveling in the directions indicated in Figs. 3 and 41. We have shown in theseffigures the relations of the variousnparts toillustrate how'the. dogs pickup a rug and engage'its hanger 18 to lo tal position and ,how dropped in the horizontal position; Each of thedogs has a notch 42 ineach of its 0pposite edges, and immediately adjacent each; of these notches is a raised portion 43, which raised portion is normally pressed against the edges of apertures 10 in the hangers 13 by. the action of spring' LQ dog 36fhasa'tendencylto move upwardly with the hangers'l When the dog has acting upon the dogs tending to er it to the horizonthe rug is finally moved to the left in that figure-to a posi-;

tion where its notch 12 comes under the hanger 13 farthest to the left, then the dog may spring upwardly and the notch 4C2 will engagewith the hanger and the hanger will immediately start'moving to the left with thedog, moving forwardly and downwardly along the arches 18 until the rug attached 10. This condition may be" seen from consideration ofjFig. 41. WVhen the lowermost rugis laid down it willbe seenthat just as the rug and its hanger 13 reaches the final position, the part 13 of the dog .36 will enf to the hanger is laid out flatly upon the base 5 gage with theedge 10 .of .thebase" 10 (or i any other suitable member may be providedlI l and the upperend of the-dogwill bcforced. 7110.

to the right of Fig. a so that: its notch; 42

will disengage the hanger and allow. the

dog to. pass onwardly'withthe chain while i the hanger remains "in the position shown... The next hanger and rug will be 'broughtf, downin the'same'manner and'laid upon the first rug,; and so on until all the rugs are vlaid down or until theoperationof the maj chi'neis reversed. In Fig. 1 we have shown a dog 36- in position just asit'is "about to disengage one of the'hangers '13. a To always maintain acertain space'between the hangers, .we' may provide'fsuitable" spacing lugs or hangers,'these lugs pro-1 j viding that there shall always be suflicient f 36% of the "dogs 36 may freely move between I bosses- 13 upon the space'betw-eenv the hangers so that the end thehangers to engage thelastone which the dogsrpass;

These bosses also form 1 a means j of accurately spacing the hangers so that f. the .machine is accurate and trustWorthy .-in.

. horizontal positions.-

its action. 'In' the drawings, the space between the rugsis exaggeratedfor clarity of illustration; inpractice we propose to make back totheir vertical positions, theaction of the dogs is the same asldescribed, excepting that the dogs are'forced back to positions opposite those shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the uppermost rughanger on the horizontal pile is picked up and dropped in correct position on the upper part of the arches 18. 7

Having described-preferred forms of our invention, we claim f 1. A device of the character described for displaying. flexible articles, comprising a horizontal display base, arch supports extending from one edge of said base to points above the opposite edge of the base, hangers adaptedto travel along said arch supports and adapted to each- Support-one of said articles, the hangers being normally in position on the higher parts of said arches so that the articles are'normally vertically suspended over the edge of the base, and means to'move the hangers one by one'along the arches to their lower ends, the contourof the arches and travel of the hangers being such that the articles are laid out flat upon the base in the manner" described.

2. A device of the character described for @displaying flexible articles, comprising a horizontal display base, arch supports ex-" tending from one edge of said base to points above the opposite edge of the base, hangers adapted to travel along said arch supports and adapted to each support one of said articles, the hangers being normally in position in the higher parts of said arches so that the articles are normally vertically suspended over one edge of the base, and means I to move the hangers one by one along the" arches to their lower ends, said means including endless flexlble members paralleling the arches, and hanger engaging means in base in -the manner described;

said flexible members, the contour of the arches and travel of the hangers being such that the articles are laid out fiat upon the 3. A device of the character described, comprising a horizontal displaybase, a ver tical frame rising at one edge of the base, rug supporting arches reaching from the the opposaid arches having substantially horizontal portions near the vertical frame, rug hangers normally resting upon the horizontal upper portions of the arches adjacent each other parallel to the said frame so that rugs supported from said hangers will hang vertically against each other, flexible chains paralleling the arches, means to 'move said chains longitudinally, and dogs pivotally mounted on the chains and adapted to engage the hangers one at a time.

, 4. A device of the character described, comprisinga horizontal display base, a vertical frame rising at one edge of the base,

. rugv supporting arches reaching from the upsaid frame so that rugs supported from said hangers will hang vertically against each other, flexible chains paralleling the arches, means to move said chains'longitudinally, and dogs pivotally mounted'on the chains, and adapted to engage the hangers one at a time, said dogs each having a notch adapted to engage a hanger and'having a projection adapted to engage an adjacent hanger to prevent the notch from engaging the one hanger. j

5. A device of the character described, comprising a horizontal display base, a vertical frame rising at one edge of the base, rug supporting arches reaching from the upper part of the vertical frame to the opposite edge of the displaybase, said arches having substantially horizontal portions near the vertical frame,rug hangers nor mally resting upon the horizontal upper portions of the arches adjacent each other parallel to the said frame so that rugs supported from said hangers will hang vertieally against each other, flexible chains paralleling' the arches, means to move said chains longitudinally, and'dogs pivotally mounted on the chains: and adapted to en gage the hangers one at a time, said dogs each having a notch adapted to engage a hanger and havinga projection forward of the notch in the direction of movement of the chain and dog, said projection adapted to engage an adjacent hanger and prevent the notch from engaging the one hanger, whereby the notch can only engage the outermost one of the-assembly of hangers.

6. A device for displaying fiat articles,

" comprising a horizontal display base, means for normally suspending said articles from their upper edges in vertical positions above one edge of the base, a guide extending from the normal elevated position of said upper edges to a lower point at the opposite edge of the base, and means to move the upper edges-of said articles along said guide from their normal positions tolower positions at the opposite edge of the base, the contour of the. guide and the line of movement being such that the suspended articles first engage thebase-with their lower edges and are then laid out flat on the base.

Y 7 A device for displaying flat articles, comprisinga horizontal display base, means for normally suspending saidarticles from' their upper edges .in vertical positions above one edge of the base, a guide extendingfrom the normal elevated position of said upper edges to a lower point at the opposite edge 1 of the base,'and means to move the upper edges of said articles. along said guide from their normal positions to lower positions at the oppositeedge of the *base, the contour of the guide and the line of movement of said.

upper edges being a continuous curve whose radius from the first mentioned edge of the:

base is continuously greater as the lower end of the guide is approached, so that the lower edges of the articlesmay be first laid on the base at the first mentioned edge'and then gradually pulled toward the'opposite edge as the whole of the article is laid on'the base in the manner described. 7

8. A device for displaying flat articles,

comprising a horizontal jdispl'ay base, means for normally suspending said articles from v their upper edges in vertical positions above one edge of'the base, a guide extending from the normal elevated position of said upper edges to a lower point at the opposite edge of the base, means to move the upper edges 01": said articles along sald guide from their.

normal positions to lower positions at the opposite edge of the base, the contour of the guide and the line'of movement of said upper edges being a continuous'curve whose radius from the first mentioned edge of the base is continuously greater as the lower; f end of the. guide is approached, so that the.

lower edges of the articlesmay'be first laid on the base at the first mentioned edge and then gradually pulled toward the opposite edge as the. whole of the article is laid on the base in the manner described, and means to limit the movement of the lower edges of the articles over thebase away from the first .mentioned edge. ip -9. A device for displaying fiat articles comprising a horizontal base, a guide extending from a position elevated above one o ing the ii ppe edges o said; A

alongtheiguid heco l o heg'uideaneh movement r. said; uppen edges being 1 such} If that as saidupper edges areamoved down a y along. -g e .the ajrtiolesl 1'-t;' n'.- gage the base with. their lower edgesjjandj 7 are then'laid out Lflatonthe base 10. A; devicegffor displaying fiat articles,

comprising a horizontal; base, meansafor su's-i pendingsaid articles from theirupperfedges, in vertical positions above one edgeofflthe base, meansfor engaging and moving the;

upper edges of saidiarticles from their said edge of said base, and means for supporting and guiding said article movingfmeanslin such a line of movement that as the-articles are moved downwardly along the guides they first engage thebase with theinlower '70 11. A device for displaying flat articles,

edges a'nd are thenlai'd out fiat onthe-base.

. positions to lower positions at thexopposite. 7

comprisinga horizontal display base,,meansv for suspending :the articles by their. upper edges at one .edge of the-base at a height ap Y proximatelyiequal to the vertical length of the articles, near said edge of the horizontal display base, and means iormovin so that the lower edges hang.

g the upper edges.

of said articles downwardly and horizontally 'P t h opposite edge. ofthe;hori-, zontal display base.

12 A device for d s la ing flatmates comprising a horizontal display base,'-;meansi for suspending the articles by their upper edges atone edge of the base at a height approximately equal tothe, vertical length oil the articles, sothattheloweredges hang near said edge of the horizontal: display base,

and reversiblei'mea'n's formoving thef upper' 1 edges. of said articlesbetweentheir said positions and. lower "positions at the opposite l edge of; the horizontal display base.

In witness that'we claim the foregoingwe 'Witnessesr; 7

LJAsJH: BALL GH, 1. JAMns T. 1 BAnKJiLnw.

' have hereunto subsoribedour names this-1st; .day of July-l914 .j "WILLIAMT;PHILLIPS THOS. G. DE'LISLE. V

addressing the Commissioner oi Patents, 

